Mail-transferring mechanism.



C. W4. ROBERSOVNN MML TRANSFERRING MECHANISM. Y Prue/mou man :uw ao. Isn.

Patented Dec.

' 2 sn'EETs-s WITN ESSES www HEET I.

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ATTO FI N EY c. w. hox-lfesow.

MAIL TRANSFERRING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED luLY 30,1911.

1,249,670. v mma 1 e.11,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 ATTORNEY lll tie

` arrastrar w, iacient-teen',` or minnaar. srnrnes, annansas.

MAILLTRANSFERRING MECHANSM.

Speciication of Letters `Iiatent.

Patented Dec. 11, '12917.

Application filed .'1' uly 30, 1917. Serial No. `1833,5i4t2t.

.To all whom it may Concern.' p y Be itlniown that l, @HARLEY lV. ROBER- sorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mineral Springs, in the county of Howard and-*State ot 4flirlnansas,have invented certain new andfnseful Improvements in a lidad-Transferring Mechanism, ot' which the following is a specication.

'l`his invention relates toinail transferring mechanism, and has iliorits primary object to generally simplify andimprove the construction and operation ot such devices, as well as to increase the etticiencythereot.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for facilitating `the interchange oliv mailbags between a moving train and a iiiredelement beside fthetrack, which operates in such mannerthat a number oli-mail bags may be interchanged at one and the same time without danger of the bags droppingto the gronndfor passing be neath of thewheels oli the moving train, and ot little likelihood` oli `the bags becoming damaged or broken.

Still further objects reside in providing a mechanism et" the character set forth which shall be ot simple and comparatively inexpensive construction, which performs the terchanging operation automatically, which at all times protects the mail pouches from damage by rain or snow, which has its various movable parts so constructed f,and arranged as to minimize the opportunity for wear, breakage or derangement, andwhich will prove thoroughly practical and` etlicient in use.

lllith these objects in view together with otlierswhich will appear as the description proceeds, the inrention resides in the novel toi-mation, combination and arrangement o'li parts, all as will be `described more tally hereinafter, illustrated in the-drawings and particularlv pointed out in the claims.`

ln. the drawings: Y p

li`igure l is fragmentary side elevation oli-a railway car oit conventional `liorin, the said car being equipped with one ot' the bag holding and receiving members, and the view alsoillustrating a bag rreceiving and holding member beside the track. y

Fig. 2 is a sectional `viewloolring through `the members upon the-car and beside the track, and illustrating themanner in which the said elements'telescope during the bag `interchanging operation.

i B is a detail perspective View of `the and a pair of arcuate members l5.

bag holding member which is adapted to be atliired to the side el' the railway coach.

Figli is a similar view ot the member supported beside the track, and

Figure 5 shows a mail pouch oli that type or across one of the doors therein. `Blocks 8 are illustrated inthe present instance tor effecting the connectioirbetween the side ot the coach and the tubular member. The outer side oli the tubular shell T is slotted throughout its length as `indicated at 9.

The shell or casing is provided upon its inner side with a` pair ol doors l0, the Asaid `doors being arcuate `as shown so as to conform to the contour olitheshell when closed, and each of `these doors carries a mail bag `supporting rod ll.` These rods are secured `to the doors attheir inner ends, and the `opposite ends oli the rods are unattaclied,

the said Mrods being disposed outwardly in directions opposite to each other. Vlhe said rods are so arranged upon their respective doors `that when the latter are swung to closed position and held by the latches`12, the said rods will be spaced slightly trom the innerwalls of the casing, at the upper side thereof, and `parallel with the airis oli the said casing. Leaf springs liare `secured to the doors l@ remote trom the point ot connection ot the rods ll therewith, and 1 these springs are yieldably engaged withthe tree ends ot the said rods.

Extending across the casing 7 upon the interior thereof `and midway between the ends of the said casing is a stop, the` said stop including a centrally disposed arm il, These members are spaced lrom the inner walls ol. the casing and trom each other.

rEhe lined member to be secured `bythe track is indicated at 1G, and this member is ot hollow cylindrical form, open at both ends, and the said member is adapted"` to pass longitudirially"` througli`` the movable member 7. The member 16 is suitably supported in horizontal position at one side upon a suitable bracket or support 17. rllhe xed member 16 is provided at its outer side with the longitudinally disposed slot 18, and this slot is coextensive with the said member. This casing or fixed member 16 is also equipped upon its interior with a pair of longitudinally extending oppositely disposed bag supporting rods 19, the inner ends ot the said rods being secured to the casing 16, while the other ends thereof are free, while the said rods for the major portion of their length are spaced parallel with and slightly below the upper side of the casing. rlhis lixed member 16 is also equipped with a stop; the said stop being disposed between the adjacent ends of the rods 19, and comprises a centrally disposed arm 20 and the arcuate arms 21.A 1t will be observed that the points of connection of' the arms 20-21, and of the arms 1-1-15 of the movable member, are relatively close together, being spaced apart a difference suiiicient to permit of the same being inclosed by the slots 18 and 9 of the iixed and movable members respectively.

The casing 16 is provided adjacent its inner side With longitudinally disposed slots 22, and these slots are arranged adjacent and coextensive with the oppositely disposed rods 19. The ends of the slots 22 communicate with short arcuate slots 23, the arcuate slots being provided so as to facilitate the application of the mail bags to the interior of casing.

The mail bags employed in connection Wit-h a transferring apparatus are indicated at 25, and each is provided at its upper end with a loop 24, the said loops being adapted to engage over the rods 11 or 19 of the movable or fixed members. lNhen a number of bags are suspended by the rods Within the casing, the same may be held together by chains, such as that shown at 25.

In practice, the fixed member is arranged beside the track in spaced parallel relation to the ground, and is elevated above the ground suiiciently to telescope with the member 7 arranged in a similar manner upon the side of the car. 1t will be observed that the ends of the members 7 are iiared so that the proper assembling of the telescoping members is assured. Assuming that the car be moving in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, mail bags to be delivered to the stationary member will be suspended from the loop 211 upon the rod 11 at the rear end of the casing 7. The pouches to be delivered to the casing upon the train will be suspended from the rods 19 to the left of the casing 16, as shown in the said figure. vAs the car advances, the casing 7 passes over and Wholly incloses the member 16, the rods being disposed longitudinally in the said member andthe stop extending lat- `rases/o erally across the same, being so arranged as to not be engaged during the teleseoping operation. As the bags suspended upon the rods 11, engage the stop arms 2O and 21 on the fixed member 16, the bags will be moved ott of their supporting rods 11 and deposited in the casing 16. ln a lilie manner the bags suspended by the rod 19 in the lixed member 16 will be deposited in the movable member F rlhe bags may be withdrzuvn from their t. casings after thel interchanging operation through the apertures 23 and through the doors 10.

1t is obvious from the foregoing that 1 have provided an extremely simple and. thoroughly eilicient means lor cil'ecting the interchange of mail pouches, and one which will prove highly practical in use. By cmploying an interchanging mechanism ot this character, danger oi damage to the bags is great-ly eliminated, and the interchange is eiected without possibility of loss or dropping of the bags.

lVliile the present disclosure is that of what is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes in the minor details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to it desired without departing from the spirit ot the invention as defined by the appended claims.

'Vhat is claimed is:

1. ln a mail tanslerring device, a lixed tubular member, a pair of oppositely directed longitudinally disposed rods in said member adapted to support mail bags suspended therein, a stop arm in said member extending across the same between the adjacent ends of said rods, a movable tubular member of smaller diameter than the lirst mentioned member adapted to pass longitudinally over the latter, a pair of oppositely directed longitudinally disposed rods in said movable member adapted to hold mail bags suspended therein, a stop arm extending across said movable mcmber between the adjacent ends ot the rods therein, and the rods and arms in said lixed and movable members beine' arranged so as to 115 not engage each other.

2. In a mail transferring device, a fixed tubular member slotted at one side throughout its length and open at both ends, a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinally ex- 12o tending rods in said member adapted to hold mail bags suspended therein, a stop extending across said member between said rods, ay movable tubular member slotted at one side throughout its length and being adapted to i235 pass longitudinally over said lixed member,

a pair oi oppositely disposed rods extending longitudinally in said movable member and being adapted to hold mail bags suspended therein, a stop extending across said anzidetti lnovable member between said rods, leaf springs engaged at the free ends With the outer ends of the rods in said movable member, and the said stops and rods in the fixed and movable members being arranged so as to pass Without engaging each other.

3. ln a bag holder, a tubular member open at both ends, a door in one side of said member, a rod secured at one end to the inner surface of said door adjacent one end tliereof and extending longitudinally and in spaced parallel relation to the axis of said member, and a leaf spring engaged at its tree end with the opposite end et said rod.

l. ln a mail transferring device, the eombination with a pair of tubular members open at both ends and one being adapted to pass longitudinally over the other, an arm extending substantially diametrically across each tubular member intermediate the ends thereof, a pair of arcuate arms in each mem ber above and below the straight arms therein, the arms carried by said members being adapted to pass each other When the said members are teleseoped, and a longitudinally extending rod at the upper portion of one of said members and upon the interior thereof adapted to have mail bags suspended therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

@HARLEY l/V. ROBERSON..

Witnesses:

CLARENCE H. BARFIELD, GEORGE W. WEBB..

werden or this patent may be obtained fer ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patat?, Washington, IL C. 

